Juicy and meltingly tender pork spare ribs are bathed in the most umami, fragrant pork broth in this delicious Chinese inspired soup. Soba noodles continue the journey into Japan and add a wonderful nutty flavour and soft texture.
14ozsoba noodles(400g) (about 3.5oz/100g per person)
2scallions(thinly sliced, for garnish)
Instructions
In a large dutch oven or deep pan, heat the oil until hot and then fry the spare ribs for 2-3 minutes per side until browned. Remove from the pan.
Clean the pan and fill with about 1 litre of water. Bring to a boil and then drop in the ribs. Cook over a rolling boil for 3-4 minutes to draw out the impurities, then drain the water and rinse the spare ribs.
Wipe clean the pan and add another 2 litres of water. Return the ribs to the pan and add the spring onion, celery, ginger, garlic carrot, soy sauces, peppercorns, star anise and vinegar.
Bring to a simmer then reduce the heat to very low. Cover the pan and cook for 2 1/2 hours, barely simmering. Season with salt to your liking and remove from the heat. Fish out the ginger and star anise.
Cook as many soba noodles as you need for about 7 minutes and then drain. Arrange the noodles in a deep bowl and ladle over some of the soup broth with the vegetables. Add a few spare ribs too then top with a sprinkling of slices scallions.
Serve hot.
Notes
Substitutes and tips
Try beef short ribs for a delicious alternative to pork. Cook in exactly the same way.
Instead of soba noodles (which aren't traditional anyway) use glass noodles, rice noodles or just plain egg noodles.
Leave out the noodles completely if you like and instead, add a couple of chunky potatoes or turnip pieces about 30 minutes from cooking is complete for a hearty meaty soup.
Browning the ribs is an important step - it helps with flavour and colour, so be sure to get a good sear on the meat.
Storing and Preserving
This soup doesn't keep so well once the noodles are added, so eat right away if you can.
The soup itself (without noodles) can be refrigerated for 3-4 days or frozen for 3-4 months. Reheat until piping hot and poured over cooked noodles.